


The Runaways

by taeyoooooong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Abandonment, Affection, Angst, Anyways, Crying, Eventual Romance, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Goodbyes, M/M, McDonald's, Original Character(s), Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poverty, Runaway AU, Swearing, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers, They all have issues, Trauma, am I right, because kids need that to grow, bus rides, but they overcome it together, i'm a teen don't get it twisted, mentions of depression, mute character, pretty fluffy, probably, probably will add more characters later on, ummm - Freeform, we love that, woohooooooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-01-08 08:04:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21232514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyoooooong/pseuds/taeyoooooong
Summary: Jaemin just wants to find a home.He does...but he just doesn't expect it to be in the form of four other orphans like him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> here we go again.

“So, does anyone have money?”

The five boys exchanged nervous glances at each other, and reluctantly started looking through their things.

Jaemin dug through his pockets and bag, and pulled out a handful of loose change. He held it up, alongside Jeno’s one dollar and fifty cents (of course in change), Donghyuck’s seventy-five cents, YangYang’s two dollars in change, and Renjun’s miscellaneous coins laying at the bottom of his bag.

“Well, that makes…twelve dollars and twenty-five cents. I think we can afford a bus ride out of the city. But…where to?”

“Um…what about San Diego?”

“You’re crazy! Do you know how expensive San Diego is? We literally have twelve dollars.” YangYang groaned, and shoved his bag to make room on the cement planter where they stopped to take a break.

“Fine. Somewhere in LA?”

“No, too crowded. And the streets of LA aren’t friendly for people like us.”

“People like us? What do you mean? The streets of LA are made for crackheads. Perfect.”

Renjun ignored YangYang, choosing to shove his face away. YangYang ran away snickering.

“Somewhere in Orange County then? It’s nicer.”

Jaemin began to grow tired of their talking, and shot a silent glare at their heads. Jeno noticed, and smirked while putting his chin on Jaemin’s shoulder.

“Sure. Where?”

“Not Anaheim…maybe Buena Park…oh! Garden Grove! It’s pretty quiet.”

“Right. That sounds fine. Let’s find a bus first.”

The five boys reluctantly hoisted their backpacks on their shoulders, and started walking in the blazing sun.

“You know, I’m a little glad that we left.”

Jaemin turned to Donghyuck, and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I don’t think I could’ve taken the bouncy hot dogs for much longer. Or sleeping next to John. That kid has no regard to personal hygiene.”

“And you’re saying you do?”

Renjun snorted, and shook his head. “Knock it off.”

“Well, yes. I’m saying that I don’t smell like rotten socks.”

“I’d reconsider that.”

Donghyuck growled, and took off running after YangYang. Jeno rolled his eyes, and picked up the pace. Renjun and Jaemin had no choice to but to follow. Not too long after, they found a bus stop. Donghyuck wiped his forehead, and stepped under the small awning. His face was bright red, with sweat dripping down his temple. Jaemin had no doubt he and the other boys looked just about the same.

“Looks like this is only going to take us to LA. We’ll have to hitch another ride.”

Jeno nervously bit his lip. “You think we’ll have enough money?”

Jaemin shrugged, and took out his notepad.

_“They probably have discounts for K-12 students. Which means bus fares will be significantly less for us.”_

Renjun squinted to read the paper, and nodded. “Mhm. If we have twelve twenty-five though, and split it between the five of us, we’ll have about two fifty each.”

“But that’s if we use all of it. We can’t afford to do that.”

“Shit man, what are we gonna do with twelve twenty-five? Or actually, about four dollars since the fare will be around one fifty?”

“Get food! What else?”

“Get what food? Leftovers? Moldy bread? We’ll just have to go hungry.”

Jaemin held up a hand, and promptly scrawled something down.

_“I stuffed my bags with food before we left. Should last us two or three days to rack up something from panhandling.”_

Donghyuck sighed in relief. “Thank god, Jaemin. You’re a god send. Well, with that out of the way…”

“Wait, we’re fifteen right? We could get a job.”

“Who’s going to hire a bunch of dirty fifteen-year-olds?”

“The gym’s always open to shower.”

“We’ll have to buy sandals. I’m _not _getting athlete’s foot.”

“We have twelve dollars.”

Jeno shrugged. “One pair, and all of us can share? I fail to see the problem here.”

YangYang crinkled his nose in disgust, and sat down on the bus stop bench. “Why did we do this?”

“Because we love Jaemin.”

“Point taken.”

Slowly, people started gathering at the bus stop, and when the bus finally came and opened its doors, the teens started filing in.

“Oh no. There’s no discount.”

Jeno sighed. “I mean…we still have the food Jaemin packed.”

“I know. But he said it’d only last for two or three days. After that, we’re out.”

“Excuse me?” An elderly lady in front them exclaimed as her head whipped around.

“Gentlemen, I overheard that you don’t have any food? That’s not healthy for your growing bodies.”

Renjun sheepishly smiled. “Yeah, we can’t afford it. It’s either this bus fare or our food. And our parents kicked us out, so we need to skip town.”

“No no no, I can’t have that.” She reached into her wallet, and pulled out seventy dollars. “Here. I can’t let you starve. I hope you’ll get places. God bless you.”

She patted each of their shoulders, deposited her fare, and moved on. The five boys stared in shock at the bills in Renjun’s hands before the bus driver yelled at them to get a move on. They quickly dropped in their change, and found their seats. They shoved their bags under the seats and threw their legs over each other’s to prevent their gangly legs from getting in other people’s space. Jaemin sighed, and picked at his ratty shoelace.

“Something wrong?”

Jaemin turned to Jeno, and thought for a moment, before shaking his head slowly. Jeno didn’t look convinced. However, Jeno didn’t pry and Jaemin was thankful for that.

He laid his head down on Jeno’s shoulder as the bus started up.

He already felt so tired and drained, his back aching from carrying his heavy bags. Jaemin had never felt like this. Giving up was a foreign feeling. He hated how it ate away at his mind constantly and made his stomach churn.

Maybe this was depression.

Whatever it was, Jaemin felt like shit. He was _not _happy, that was for sure.

He was not happy, and stuck with a bunch of orphans who didn’t know what they were doing without a penny to their name. Just like him.

Just a bunch of runaways.


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time he meets Lee Jeno is when he almost gets his ass kicked. Somehow, Jeno still wants to be friends with him.

“Fuckin’ loser. What was that? I can’t hear you.”

Jacob snickered with his friends, surrounding Jaemin’s table. After laughing at him for a few more seconds which ended with Jacob spitting at him, they got bored of him and moved on to their next victim. Jaemin looked at his clothes in disgust, as they were covered with spilt milk that he didn’t drink and the rubbery beans and cheese that went with the soggy nacho chips in his hair. He picked himself up, and discarded his tray. As he walked himself up to the lady monitoring the cafeteria, he could feel the stares of his fellow orphans burning into his back.

“Oh dear, what happened?”

Jaemin, being mindful of the sheets of paper on his notepad, carefully scribbled out a sentence.

_“Jacob and his friends again. May I go take an early shower?”_

She smiled sympathetically. “Of course, dear. I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, and ran off to the showers. At this point, he didn’t have to ask her for permission to leave anymore. He’d been in that orphanage for three years, and nearly every single day, he’d get tormented by the other kids for his disability. Really, Jaemin wanted to set them straight, maybe rough ‘em up or cuss them out for a minute or two, but his structure really didn’t allow him to do that.

At twelve years old, his five-foot-four, skinny and bony body wasn’t going to scare anyone at all. Maybe the kid that bunked with him two years ago, but he was adopted.

Jaemin rounded the corner and disappeared in his room to get his clothes, and got into the communal shower. Another boy was already there, just trying to beat the crowds. It was his friend Shen Yu.

“Hey.”

Jaemin nodded his head in acknowledgement.

“Jacob?”

Another nod from Jaemin.

“Yep. That’s how it is here. Sorry man. I know he picks on you the most.”

Jaemin shrugged in a nonchalant way, but Shen Yu knew it was a façade. Shen Yu wordlessly handed him some soap, and patted his back. “Don’t worry man. It’s going to get better.”

He turned off his shower, and threw him a smile as he left. When the room just echoed the water from his shower only, he finally let himself cry silently.

* * *

When he finished his crying and showering session, he sulkily walked back to his bunk and flopped down on it. He felt like throwing a tantrum, but realized that people could and probably would hear him. So he cried into his pillow some more.

It was one of those days where it would be nice to talk to people. Writing it all down really just took so long, so he kept it to himself. No one bothered to listen anyway.

Shen Yu knocked on the door, and came in. “Sorry, Jaemin. But the head lady wants to talk to us.”

Jaemin wiped his eyes, and accepted Shen Yu’s hand. His hand was an anchor that held Jaemin down, and actually made him feel a bit better. He made a mental note to thank him later.

“Well, boys, I’d like to introduce you to Jeno. He was just brought here this morning.”

There were half-hearted hellos that greeted Jeno, but he paid no mind and smiled brightly. “Hi! I’m Jeno Lee. I’m twelve years old. Nice to meet you.”

Jaemin found himself smiling at him, and quickly wiped it off his face. Shen Yu stared curiously at him. When all of the boys were released, Shen Yu nudged him. “I saw a smile.”

Jaemin scoffed, and shook him off. He flipped Shen Yu off in place of taking out his notepad to cuss him out.

“Attitude much?”

He shrugged Shen Yu off, and Shen Yu fucked off to his own room, still snickering. Jaemin decided to head to the cafeteria to ask for a snack since his lunch got cut off. Normally, everyone was in the showers.

The nice lunch lady smiled at him and handed him a brownie, and he sat down at a table. He zoned out, slightly nibbling his brownie. Before he knew it, his brownie was on the floor.

This was really one of the moments where he wanted to scream. It was a good damn brownie.

He looked up, as if saying, ‘what the fuck’. He was met with Jacob’s sneer, and immediately rolled his eyes. Jacob didn’t deserve his time of day.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

Although Jacob was four years older, Jaemin could not give less of a shit. So he shrugged, and crossed his arms. It seemed to piss off Jacob enough, and he rose his hand. Jaemin didn’t budge, and narrowed his eyes, taunting Jacob to hit him. Before Jacob could do anything, someone sat down next to him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Jaemin’s head whipped over to look at the voice, and saw the new kid.

“Teaching this mute bitch a lesson.”

“Last time I checked, you weren’t a teacher. All due respect, you simply don’t have the authority to hit another child. You lay one finger on him, you’re ruined.”

He smiled politely, and made a shooing motion with his hand. Jacob was absolutely fuming, and Jaemin was pretty sure he would’ve popped a vein if it weren’t for Shen Yu.

“Oh. Jaemin?”

Jacob knew he was outnumbered now, and stomped away. For a sixteen-year-old, he was sure a dick.

Once he left, the new dude turned to him. In all honesty, Jaemin forgot his name.

“I’m Lee Jeno. Nice to meet you.”

Jaemin waved.

“What’s your name?”

Shen Yu interrupted, and handed Jaemin his notepad. “Jaemin is…mute. He forgot his notepad in his room, so I got it for him.”

“Oh. Okay. That’s alright. Anyways…you know my name now. I think that means we’re friends! Okay, so I’m going to say three things about myself, you can say three things about you, and you can write three things about you. Cool?”

Shen Yu nodded, and nudged Jaemin. He hastily nodded. Jaemin couldn’t believe he’d made another friend. And Jeno had done it so willingly too.

“Well, first, I love cats. I used to have one before I came here. I like to dance, and I also look like a Samoyed when I smile!”

Shen Yu chuckled. “You younger kids are cute. Well, first off, I’m sixteen. I like the color purple, and I love drawing.”

Jaemin quickly finished his sentence, and held up his notepad.

_“I love Samoyeds, I love dancing, and I love playing the piano.”_

Jeno held up a hand to high-five Jaemin. “Looks like we’ll be getting along! You know, it’s great to meet you guys. In my previous orphanage, I didn’t really make any friends. They didn’t like me that much. Mainly because I talked about cats too much.”

_“That’s okay. I like cats.”_

Jeno flashed a toothy grin, and Jaemin understood what he meant by Samoyed smile.

“Great. So we’re all friends?”

Shen Yu chuckled, and held up a pinky. “Yup. Let’s promise to never leave each other’s side. Hang on, we can make a pledge.”

Jaemin nodded excitedly, which was out of character for him, but he couldn’t find himself caring.

“So, I, Shen Yu Jin, promise to never ever leave my new best friends Jaemin Na and Jeno Lee. Now, Jeno, you do it.”

He grinned, and linked his pinky with Shen Yu’s. “I, Jeno Lee, promise to never ever leave my best friends Shen Yu Jin and Jaemin Na.”

They turned to Jaemin, and patted his back. “We trust that you said it in your head.”

Jaemin smiled, with teeth, effectively shocking Shen Yu. Shen Yu smiled mentally, and thanked Jeno for whatever he was doing.

“Guess that means that we’re bonded forever.”

Shen Yu shrugged. “Hope I don’t get sick of you. I’ve already gotten tired of this one over here.”

Jaemin growled, and smacked him with his notepad. He flipped him off again, which resulted in Jeno laughing, who threw himself over Jaemin to hold him back from punching Shen Yu.

Jaemin froze, and stared at him.

From that moment on, Jaemin knew that he’d be best friends with Jeno for a very, very, long time.

* * *

“Jaemin.”

Jaemin looked up from his book to see Jeno sitting down next to him on his bed. The rest of the kids in his room were out at the cafeteria. He tilted his head questioningly, and motion for Jeno to go on.

“I don’t know how to ask this…but…why are you here?”

He froze, and looked down at his feet. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me. It was an insensitive question. I just, I just wanted to know more about you. I overstepped, and I totally didn’t—”

Jaemin held up a hand to stop Jeno’s rambling, and grabbed his notepad.

_“When I was eight, my father died from an overdose. We were already struggling financially, and when he died, we went into a slump. My mother decided to get hooked on drugs too. She turned incredibly violent and verbally abusive. Long story short, she abandoned me, and someone called CPS. I got moved here, and I’ve been here for three years.”_

Jeno looked terribly guilty. “I’m so sorry.”

Jaemin shrugged. _“I can’t do anything about it. I guess it’s also why I’m mute. Some therapist told me it’s trauma or something.”_

“Yeah, Jaemin. It is.”

Jaemin pursed his lips, and pointed at his notebook. _“What about you? If you don’t mind me asking.”_

“Oh. Well, it’s the usual orphan story. My parents were killed in a home invasion. I was sleeping over at a friend’s house while it happened, so I survived.”

Jaemin looked at him incredulously, and furiously scribbled on his notepad. _“Jeno! That’s not the usual orphan story! That’s terrible!”_

“Well…I mean…yeah. I’m still recovering from it…but it’s easier to just step back and let it go. I don’t want to make it seem bigger than it is.”

_“Jeno. It’s a big thing. You have no family now…you live in a shitty orphanage. You’re allowed to hurt, you’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to feel.”_

Jeno shook his head. “I’m not. My parents are dead. And I’m here, still being able to—”

Jaemin smacked him with his notepad. _“Shut up. It’s not your fault that they died. Don’t feel guilty for surviving.”_

“I don’t.”

Jaemin shook his head. _ “Jeno, whatever you feel, just don’t let it be there. Step up to it, confront it. It’s going to hurt. And it will for a long damn time. You’ll never be good. But you’ll never be bad. You’ll be just okay. But no matter what it is, I’ll be here, right next to you.”_

It was a bold statement for Jaemin to make. The only other person that he’d ever trusted and cared about that much had left him at a dumpster near a 7-11 and never come back.

But Jeno was different. Jaemin just felt it.

So Jeno smiled, and squeezed Jaemin’s hand. “Thank you.”

A shrug came off his shoulders, and he leaned into Jeno’s side. Jeno welcomed it, and slung an arm around Jaemin’s shoulder. Jaemin patted his hand, and smiled at him.

_“No problem.”_

* * *

“Can I come in?”

Jaemin and Jeno looked up from their board game and nodded. “Hi, Shen Yu. What’s up?”

Shen Yu sucked in a breath, and sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Jaemin grabbed his notepad, and began to scrawl out a message, but Shen Yu stopped him. “I…I’m really sorry that I broke the promise.”

Jeno frowned. “I don’t get it.”

Shen Yu nervously toyed with the frayed hems of his shirt. “I’m being adopted.”

The room’s temperature dropped, and Jaemin dropped his pen.

“What?”

A tear slipped out of Shen Yu’s eye. “I’m being adopted.”

Jaemin stared at him, absolutely heartbroken to the point where he couldn’t bring himself to pick up his pen from the floor to write. He stayed silent, mouth opening and closing.

“By who?”

Shen Yu looked at the grey comforter of Jaemin’s bed, and smoothed it out like he did every morning. “By a couple from China. They seem nice.”

“So…you’re moving to a different country?”

Shen Yu guiltily nodded. “Yeah.”

By now, Jaemin had started to cry. He turned away from Shen Yu, and hid his face in his hands.

“I-I know this is all sudden…but…it’s not my decision. I’m only seventeen, so I can still be taken in. It’s not my choice. If it were…I wouldn’t do this to you.”

Jeno stared at the blank wall in silence, just like Jaemin.

“Guys. Please, please say something. I don’t want my last day here to be like this.”

Jeno sniffled. “I’m sorry. I just…don’t know what to say. Shen Yu, I—”

Shen Yu held up a hand. “No, it’s fine. I get it, it’s all really sudden. I know I should’ve told you sooner and not the day I leave, but I just couldn’t do it.”

He was met with more silence, and he sighed. Shen Yu sadly picked himself up from the bed. “I’m going to go pack. I’ll be leaving at six, I think. I’ll…I’ll see you around.”

“Wait, Shen Yu!”

Jeno rushed after Shen Yu, leaving Jaemin alone.

Again.

* * *

5:50.

Jaemin chewed at his lip as he looked up at the clock. Ten minutes until Shen Yu left. No doubt Jeno had been with Shen Yu for the entire day.

Jaemin was still angry. He knew it wasn’t Shen Yu’s fault but he couldn’t help it. Shen Yu was his oldest friend, and now he was being taken away. He was tired of people he loved leaving him.

But it wasn’t even Shen Yu’s fault.

God, Jaemin was being selfish. He looked back up at the clock.

5:53.

Jaemin still had a chance. Jaemin slapped himself mentally, and ran to the communal living area. Shen Yu and Jeno were standing next to a few bags, and Shen Yu was talking to his new adopted parents.

Shen Yu turned, and saw Jaemin. He smiled sadly, and motioned to the couple standing next to him. He opened his arms hesitantly, and Jaemin instantly ran into them. He started to cry loudly, burying his face in Shen Yu’s shoulder. Jaemin would give anything to be able to speak…but he couldn’t. He tried opening his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.

He resorted to tapping Shen Yu three times at the base of his neck.

“Oh, I love you too, Jaemin. God, I’m going to miss you so much.”

Jaemin nodded in response.

“Jeno, come here.”

Jeno walked over to them, and put an arm around Jaemin. Shen Yu put his hands on his hips. “Make sure you guys take care of each other, okay? I-I won’t be around to protect you guys anymore, so you gotta be careful.”

Jeno and Jaemin nodded. Shen Yu hugged the both of them again, and patted their shoulders. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too.”

The nice lady that owned the orphanage gently put a hand on Shen Yu’s shoulder. “It’s time to go.”

“Please give me a minute! Please?”

She nodded, and stepped away. Shen Yu grabbed two rings off of his fingers, leaving only one on his pointer finger.

“These are for you guys. These were my parents, but they were passed down to me. And now, I’m giving them to you. You’ll always have me right next to you.”

Jaemin slipped it on his pointer finger, and Jeno did the same.

“I’m not saying goodbye to you, you know?”

His voice cracked, and Jaemin saw a couple tears slide down his face.

“I’m only saying see you later.”

He smiled sadly one again, and stepped out of the door with his new parents. Jaemin and Jeno watched him get into the car, and drive away.

_See you later._

* * *

Two weeks. That’s how long Jaemin had spent alone.

He couldn’t take it anymore. When the orphanage was dark and everyone was asleep, Jaemin slipped into the room three rooms away from his. Jeno’s room.

Being mindful not to wake Simon, he tip-toed next to Jeno’s bed. He tapped Jeno’s shoulder. Jeno didn’t stir. Jaemin tapped him again, still without response. Jaemin finally smacked his shoulder, and that time, Jeno flinched. He pried open his eyes, and squinted.

“Jaem’n?”

Jaemin looked down sheepishly with a guilty smile. Jeno stared at him with bleary eyes before getting the message.

“Wanna get in?”

Jaemin nodded, and slipped under the covers right next to Jeno. It was silent for a moment, and Jeno started to drift off. Then, he heard rustling. Jaemin was tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. Jeno felt the covers get bunched up, then released as Jaemin shifted. He stifled a laugh, and turned to face Jaemin.

“Do you want a hug?”

Jaemin nodded, and slung his arms around Jeno’s middle, burying his face in Jeno’s chest. Jeno shook his head, and wrapped his arms around Jaemin, closing his eyes once again. He felt three taps on his back.

“What does that mean?”

Jaemin paused, and started to write on his back using his fingers.

_I love you._

“Oh. Okay.”

He heard Jaemin snicker quietly, and after a few more moments, he heard Jaemin’s breath start to even out. Jeno tapped three times on Jaemin’s lower back, and fell back asleep.

Jaemin smiled, and finally, after two weeks of constant tossing and turning, Jaemin fell asleep in the solace of Jeno’s arms.

For the first time in a while, Jaemin felt okay.

Not bad.

Not good.

Just okay.

* * *

“So, what’s on the menu…oh, damn.”

Jeno looked in disgust at the chips, beans, and cheese before sighing. “I seriously hate this fucking food. Who even eats this?”

Jaemin shrugged, picking at his beans and rice. He was about to throw away the tray and go read before he heard yelling.

“Don’t touch me!”

Jeno and Jaemin turned to the source of the noise, and saw a boy about their age yelling at Jacob.

“He’s new.”

Jaemin nodded. He observed the boy for a few more seconds. He was still fighting and yelling snarky remarks at Jacob and his friends. Jaemin decided he liked him. He grabbed Jeno’s arm, and tapped out a message in morse code.

“_R.E.A.D.Y.”_

“You know morse code?”

_“C.L.E.A.R.L.Y.”_

“Okay, sorry. Sassy much? Anyways, what exactly should I be ready for?”

Jaemin jerked his head towards the boy. Jeno sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Jeno and Jaemin walked over to them, and sat next to the boy. Jeno on one side, Jaemin on the other.

“Hey, Jacob. Whatcha doing?”

“Not your business.”

Jeno laughed. “Looks awfully like you’re trying to bully him. Last time I checked, we had a no bullying policy implemented a few months ago. It would sure suck if your dessert privileges got taken away.”

“Shut up. You wouldn’t actually do it.”

“Really? Hey, Ms. Lakewood!”

Jacob grunted, and stalked away.

“He’s all talk, no bite. Don’t worry about him.”

The boy nodded. “Thanks.”

Jeno shrugged. “Not a problem. I’m Jeno Lee. And that’s my best friend Jaemin Na. He’s mute though, so he’s got a notepad.”

The boy smiled. “Nice to meet you guys. I’m Donghyuck Lee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i'm procrastinating on a project i have due in two days hahahahahahahah  
anyways enough about my bad decisions and lets talk about this chapter! none of you guys are gonna read it, but oh well. jaemin's a complex character. it's not that he's physically unable to speak, because he is! he really wants to talk, but somethings holding him back. we'll discover what in future chapters ;) and yes, jeno and jaemin do get along realllly well. they understand each other, and they've both been through equally bad things togehter. obviously, we'll see their relationship develop more in the future, but for now, this is what we'll get. 2 best friends who care about each other very much. until next time <3


	3. Prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When worst comes to worst, Jaemin knows that he has four best friends behind his back.

“Happy birthday, Jaemin!”

Donghyuck hugged Jaemin tightly and kissed his cheek. “Our youngest is fourteen, Jeno!”

Jeno smiled, and pinched Jaemin cheek. “Gosh. I feel like it was just yesterday when you were thirteen.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes. _“Because it was.”_

“Sh, little one. You are a man now, and we are so proud.”

Donghyuck kissed his hair, and patted his cheek. Right then, Jacob walked by.

“Gay!”

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes. “It’s a Korean culture thing, which _you _wouldn’t know about, _Jacob._”

He glared at the three of them, and Jeno high-fived Donghyuck. “I’m so glad we’re friends.”

“Me too. But…he’s not exactly wrong.”

Donghyuck gave a pointed look to both Jeno and Jaemin who both rolled their eyes.

“Okay, so we’re gay. What’s the problem with that?”

“I didn’t say there was one. Just pointing something out.”

Jaemin scoffed, and promptly curled himself into Jeno, who scoffed and wrapped his arms around Jaemin.

“Look at you cuties. These are the times that I wish I had a phone.”

Jaemin laughed silently. _“Don’t we all want one?”_

Donghyuck shrugged, and sat back down, finishing his apple juice. Somewhere in the cafeteria, he heard yelling in Chinese. Jaemin nudged Jeno’s side, and he was shaken out of his stupor. “What?”

Jaemin pointed to his ear and told him to listen.

Now, Jaemin and Jeno were one hundred percent Korean, but they’d been around Shen Yu enough to pick up a little Chinese. Whoever was yelling, they were _not _happy. At all.

Jaemin jerked his head into their direction, and Jeno sighed. “What is with you and playing hero?”

Jaemin looked at him incredulously, and scribbled something on his notepad. _“Mind you, you did the same thing for me!”_

“That’s…that’s right. Wanna come, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck shrugged. “Why not?”

Jeno and Jaemin came swooping into the scene, finding that Jacob was terrorizing more new kids. Jaemin guessed it was a tradition at that point. Reminiscent of when they met Donghyuck, Jaemin sat on one side while Jeno sat down on the other.

“Well, well, well. Jacob, I can’t help but think that you’re obsessed with Asian kids. Just saying, you ever tried watching anime instead?”

Jaemin could now hear up close what the two Chinese kids were saying.

_“This bitch really thinks we can’t understand him? I wonder if he’ll understand me when I shove my foot up his ass, no?”_

Jaemin choked on his spit, and started laughing. Jeno was already on the floor, watching Jacob fume.

_“When will this guy learn? Why is he still here? Does he really want me to do it?”_

Jaemin shook his hands, and grasped his stomach. He couldn’t speak, but damn if he could, he’d be telling those two boys that he already loved them. Luckily, Jeno was there.

“Oh god, oh god. I can’t breathe. Jacob, do yourself a favor and fuck off.”

“Why I—”

Donghyuck came from behind, and dragged Jacob away. For a small fourteen-year-old, Donghyuck could be freakishly strong. Once Donghyuck had left with Jacob spewing threats, Jeno and Jaemin finally turned to the two Chinese boys.

“Hi. You guys speak English, right?”

“Of course. Just wanted to piss him off. I’m Renjun Huang. This is my friend YangYang Liu.”

Jeno smiled. “Sweet. I’m Jeno Lee and that’s my best friend Jaemin Na. He’s mute, so he’ll be carrying around a notepad with him. It’s in your best interest to learn a little morse code too. Me and Donghyuck, the tan boy, have already learned it.”

“Okay. I already know some. You guys know Chinese?”

“Me and Jaemin only understand it. Our friend Shen Yu used to talk in it a lot. Donghyuck only knows Korean and English.”

“We know Korean too!”

Jaemin and Jeno glanced at each other and smiled.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

“You know, this pizza tastes like shit.”

Jeno rolled his eyes. “We know, Renjun.”

“I don’t know how you guys survived with this shit.”

“Does it look like we survived?”

YangYang snorted. “That’s why Jaemin is like that. He took one bite, and poof. He died.”

Jaemin lifted his head from his hands, and stuck out his tongue.

“Ooh, he’s definitely cussing you out. I can hear it. _Fuck you, YangYang and your stupid ass name because it takes forever to write!”_

Jaemin launched himself at a snickering Jeno slapping his arms repeatedly.

“Ow! Jaemin! That hurts!”

Jaemin flipped him off, and sat back down. Jeno huffed as he straightened out his clothes and sat right beside him. “You know, you’re the worst best friend ever.”

Jaemin blew him a kiss, tapping Jeno’s hand three times.

“Aw, love you too.”

“He didn’t even say anything.”

Jaemin nodded.

“Oh. Well, exclude us from your secret language then.”

“You’re so dramatic. It’s just a tradition that we continued for a friend.”

Jaemin grasped Jeno’s hand tightly, averting his gaze from his other friends. Jeno sympathetically squeezed his hand back. “Sorry.”

“You ever gonna tell us about him?”

“Maybe one day. It kind of still hurts, honestly.”

“What’s his name?”

“Shen Yu.”

Jaemin sighed, hooking his chin on Jeno’s shoulder. Jaemin really didn’t want to think about him right now. Sure, Jaemin had Jeno, YangYang, Renjun, and Donghyuck now, but no one could ever replace Shen Yu.

“He was the greatest person you’ll ever meet. I mean, literally. He gave us his lunch when a kid would throw ours on our heads. He’d bandage us up if we ever got roughed up a little bit.”

Jaemin smiled sadly, knocking his head against Jeno’s.

“Miss him a lot.”

Jaemin perked up suddenly, and tapped Jeno with his pencil. He quickly wrote something down, and shoved it into Jeno’s hands.

“I think Shen Yu would’ve liked that. Although he might’ve whined a bit since we’re stealing his idea.”

Jaemin scoffed. _“As if Shen Yu could’ve stopped us.”_

“Right. Okay, guys, we have to do something. When Shen Yu, Jaemin, and I first met, that was when we also became friends. So, we made a pledge.”

“A pledge? For…?”

“Friendship, of course. You guys down?”

YangYang shrugged. “I don’t see why not. We’re in.”

“Okay. Repeat after me. I, Jeno Lee, promise to never ever leave my best friends…wait. There’s too many of you guys. It would take too long to say it out loud…”

“We need a name!”

“Huh…what about…the fabulous five?”

Jaemin glared at Donghyuck. “Geez, I was just kidding!”

“You know what, we’ll figure it out later. It’s fine. Anyways, just repeat after me. I, Jeno Lee, promise to never ever leave my best friends.”

“I, Renjun Huang, promise to never ever leave my best friends.”

“I, Donghyuck Lee, promise to never ever leave my best friends.”

“I, YangYang Liu, promise to never ever leave my best friends.”

Jaemin held up his notepad, and grinned.

“So…what does this mean?”

Jeno shrugged. “About nothing. But when you’re an orphan, this is as close as you will get to feeling family again.”

“Jeno…that was really sad. Not gonna lie.”

“Chill, Socrates. It’s like, one in the afternoon, which means it’s too early to cry.”

“Well, he’s right.”

Jaemin flailed his arms around suddenly, catching everyone’s attention.

“What?”

Jaemin passed around his notebook. _“I have an idea for a name!”_

“Which is…?”

Jaemin excitedly scribbled it out, and everyone’s faces lit up.

_“The Dreamies.”_

* * *

“Ahem. Jaemin Na?”

Jaemin looked away from his friends, giving them puzzled glances. He looked at Ms. Lakewood quizzically.

“Come with me, dear.”

Jeno nodded, and Jaemin grabbed his pen and notepad. He followed her down the hallways, up a floor, and to her office.

“Please, have a seat.”

Jaemin pulled out the chair in front of her desk. He saw her motion through the window to the next room over. A young couple walked in. Jaemin guessed that they were around their early twenties.

“Jaemin, I have great news. This nice couple here would like to adopt you!”

Jaemin blinked.

“Hi, dear. My name is Sarah. This is my husband, Eric.”

He waved timidly.

“Jaemin, they are aware that you cannot speak, so don’t feel afraid or worried okay?”

He stared blankly at them before grabbing his pen and notepad, and running. He briefly heard them call after his name, but he kept running. He hoped his friends were still waiting in his room, and that everyone else in his room had left. All he wanted to do was sob and sob and sob, and he didn’t need the prying eyes on him.

When he flung open the door, he was relieved to only see his four friends. He guessed everyone else went out for snack time.

“Jaemin? What’s wrong?”

His face crumpled, tears immediately flowing down his cheeks. He kept mouthing ‘sorry’ over and over, notepad and pen abandoned on the floor. Jeno rushed to his side, holding him up. He briefly registered Donghyuck wiping his face with tissues and Renjun trying to get his attention. YangYang was fanning him and trying to soothe him, but all he could do was cry and cry some more.

“Jamie, please, you have to calm down.”

Jaemin tried to suppress his sobs, but instead they came out all choked.

“Please, we can’t do anything if we don’t know what’s wrong.”

Jaemin shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. He heard Ms. Lakewood and the nice couple run into his room, startling the rest of his friends.

“Boys, so sorry to interrupt, but…could you please leave?”

Renjun regretfully left the room with YangYang and Donghyuck, each shooting him an apologetic look. Jeno stood up to leave, but Jaemin grabbed him, and quickly latched on to him. Usually, Jaemin would be embarrassed, but right now, he wasn’t in the right state of mind.

“Sorry…uh…I can’t really leave.”

Ms. Lakewood smiled kindly. “It’s okay.”

Jaemin sniffled, trying to stop crying in front of them. He hid his face in Jeno’s neck.

“I’m sorry, Jaemin. I shouldn’t have sprung the news on you so suddenly.”

“What news?”

“Jaemin…is being adopted.”

Jaemin heard Jeno’s breath hitch. “Oh. I…”

“I know. You two are always together. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Jeno was silent, and Jaemin felt him shift. Thinking that Jeno was about to leave, Jaemin whimpered and tugged Jeno even closer. He felt Jeno rub his back comfortingly.

“Don’t worry. I’m not leaving you. Never.”

Jaemin hiccupped, breathing in Jeno’s familiar scent and attempted to calm himself down.

He saw Sarah and Eric looking at him guiltily. Served them right.

“We’ll discuss this later. I don’t think talking about this further will help you feel better. I’ll leave him in your care, Jeno.”

“Thank you, Ms. Lakewood.”

The three adults left, and Jeno and Jaemin were left alone.

“I guess…I guess this is it?”

Jaemin stayed still, sniffling and wiping his nose.

“I…I knew it would happen one day. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon.”

Jaemin shook his head miserably.

“God…I just wish…I just wish people would stop leaving me.”

Jaemin felt another bout of tears surface, but closed his eyes to prevent them from coming out. Instead, he took Jeno’s hand and squeezed it.

“It’s not your fault.”

He heard Jeno sniff.

“I wish I could be selfish. Keep you. With me. And Hyuck. And Jun. And Yang. I want to be selfish for once.”

Jaemin’s heart cracked in two, and he wrapped his arms tighter around Jeno.

“But I can’t. I want you to be happy. And I know you’ll never be happy here. I wish I could leave too.”

Jaemin sighed, tucking his head under Jeno’s chin. Suddenly, an idea took over.

_No._

But…

_No. He couldn’t do that…they’d get caught…_

Fuck it.

Jaemin wriggled out of Jeno’s grasp, scrambling for his pen and notepad that he left on the floor, and furiously scrawled out a few sentences. He all but shoved it into Jeno’s hands, and Jeno read it quickly. His eyes widened in shock.

“You…”

Jaemin nodded.

“Then…what about…the others?”

Jaemin patted his knee, reassuring him to leave it to him. Jeno let out a breath, and his mouth set into a grim line.

“Lead the way.”

* * *

“Jaemin? Will you tell us what’s wrong?”

YangYang sat down next to him, and offered him a cookie, which he gratefully took. “Don’t mean to pry, but we were really worried.”

Jaemin nudged Jeno.

“Jaemin’s being adopted.”

“_What?_”

Jaemin sighed, and looked down guiltily.

“But don’t worry! We’ll fix it.”

Renjun scoffed, purposefully hiding his face to cover that he was crying. “How? We’re minors. We don’t have a say in anything.”

Donghyuck moaned miserably, throwing himself into Jaemin’s arms. “But I don’t want him to _gooooooo_.”

“He won’t. At least, not alone.”

YangYang sighed. “I appreciate you trying to lift up our moods, Jeno. But come on. Be realistic.”

“I am, just…argh. I wish Jaemin could talk sometimes.”

Jaemin snorted, and patted his arm.

“You know what? Here. Take your damn notepad.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes, and grabbed his pen, and started to write something down.

“So…you guys ever thought of being teenage rebels?”

Donghyuck sighed. “Obviously. Who hasn’t? But what does this have to do with losing our best friend?”

Jaemin lifted up his notepad for all to see.

_“Let’s run away.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohohohohohoh i actually updated? what a shocker. i'm actually supposed to be studying for finals............ 
> 
> fuck it lollll i fail i fail yknow its how it is i'm sure i'll be okay 
> 
> hope you guys liked the chapter! this is the last prologue chapter before we get back to the present lol so don't worry no more backstory


	4. Hit the roads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, sometimes, all you could do was get married on a bus because a little girl said so. 
> 
> And also spend eight dollars on fries, because that was so incredibly on brand and smart.

“Can you move your leg? It’s hella sweaty.”

Jaemin sighed, stuffing his face into Jeno’s neck. Jeno hummed, patting his hand. “I think that’s number twenty-five.”

“You know, if you stopped moving it wouldn’t be that sweaty. _You_ move your leg.”

Jeno heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Make that twenty-six.”

“Stop fucking arguing.”

“Oh come on, language!”

“What are you, sixty-three? Calm your tits.”

“YangYang, I swear—”

Jaemin pulled a miserable face at Jeno, and Jeno only shook his head. “There’s at least an hour left. I’m going nuts.”

Jaemin gave him a look that said, ‘tell me about it’, prompting a soft laugh from Jeno. Jaemin turned his head, and made eye contact with a little girl sitting with her mother. He smiled, and gave her a tiny wave. She shyly waved back. Jaemin nudged Jeno, and pointed at her. Jeno smiled, and immediately, they started having fun.

For the next few minutes, Jeno and Jaemin ignored their friends in favor of exchanging funny faces with the little girl.

When her mom noticed, her mom only started laughing, half in embarrassment and amusement.

The battle ended when Jaemin pulled his ugly chipmunk face, and the little girl sat back in disappointment. Jaemin grinned proudly. No one ever beat that face.

Jaemin turned back to Jeno, laughing at the ridiculous faces that they’d both made. Jeno laced their fingers together, and Jaemin gave a pleased hum.

He heard shuffling next to him, and lo and behold, the mother and her little girl had moved over to them.

“Hi.”

Jaemin waved, and Jeno replied ‘hi’ back.

“I’m Kim. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jeno. He’s Jaemin.”

“Why can’t you talk, Jaemin?”

“Jaemin is very sick. His throat hurts sooooo much. That’s why he can’t talk.”

“My throat used to hurt like that too. But then it got better ‘cuz I drank medicine. You should drink it too. Mommy, what was it called?”

Her mother stifled a laugh. “Tylenol.”

“It’s called Tylenol. I hope you feel better.”

Jaemin laughed softly, leaning his head back onto Jeno’s shoulder.

“Are you guys married?”

He felt Jeno pause, and he snickered internally.

“Pardon?”

Kim huffed. “Are you guys married?”

Jeno snorted, and shook his head. “We’re only fifteen.”

“Woah. You’re so old. Why aren’t you married?”

Jeno burst out laughing, along with Jaemin and Kim’s mother.

“What makes you think we’re married?”

“You’re holding hands! Mommy says only married couples do that.”

Jeno turned to Jaemin. “Well, look at that. I guess we’re married now.”

Jaemin shrugged indifferently.

“Thanks, Kim. Me and Jaemin are married now.”

Kim turned to her mom, and pestered her for something in her bag. Her mother handed it to her while hiding a grin.

“Here. My mommy has a ring, and she told me that my daddy gave it to her. I don’t really have a nice ring like hers, but here’s a ring pop.”

Jeno gratefully accepted it, and slid it onto Jaemin’s finger. “Thank you, Kim. I’m sure Jaemin likes it. Right?”

Jaemin nodded furiously, and shot Kim a thumbs up.

“That means he _loves _it.”

“Now kiss!”

Jaemin choked, and Jeno turned a bright shade of red. He could see Kim’s mom laughing at them, and Kim was absolutely oblivious.

“Well, er, I…we…”

Jeno turned towards Jaemin helplessly.

“Yo, Jeno. You gonna kiss him or not?”

Jeno turned around to glare at YangYang, and finding to his horror that Donghyuck, Renjun, and him had been listening the whole time.

Jaemin looked around the bus, seeing some strangers hiding their faces in laughter. Great. Everyone was listening.

“Jeno, come on man. You can’t get married if you don’t kiss.”

Jeno was still bright red as he lightly kissed Jaemin’s temple. Of course, Jaemin usually wouldn’t be fazed by that, but with nearly the whole bus paying attention to him, he now felt like passing out. His friends cheered, prompting some people on the bus to laugh. Kim looked pleased.

When the bus came to a stop, Kim and her mom stood up.

“Thank you for talking to her.”

Jeno smiled at her. “Of course, ma’am.”

Kim grinned at them, each giving them a hug. “Make sure to have lots and lots of babies!”

The bus burst into laughter, the two teenagers turning bright red and broke into coughing fits.

“That was golden. I really can’t believe you two got married because a little girl told you to.”

Jeno shrugged. “It’s not like we had anything better to do. You guys were arguing about where to put your legs.”

“Okay well, you try sitting in between Donghyuck and Yang, okay? See how you like it.”

“That was your fault. You didn’t have to sit with us.”

“And let you guys wreak havoc on the bus? Um, I don’t think so. As oldest here, I assume responsibility.”

“You’re one month older, Renjun.”

“Still a month.”

Jeno stuck out his tongue, and Renjun rolled his eyes. “Real mature.”

“Shut up, guys. Are you aware that there are other people on this bus?”

“Real funny, Yang, considering you were screaming your head off two seconds ago.”

_“You stole my fucking shoe, you rat ass—”_

Jaemin buried his face in his hands, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

“Jaemin’s cussing you all out right now.”

Jaemin shot Jeno a pointed look, as if saying ‘don’t start it’. Jeno shrugged, and slung an arm around Jaemin’s shoulders. Jaemin leaned back, and watched the three of his friends bicker.

“You know, sometimes I wish we would’ve just run away by ourselves. But then I remember, more kids, more money made.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes, and pulled out his notepad. _“If they heard you, you’d get skinned alive.”_

“Well, tell them go ahead. YangYang’s skinny ass ain’t gonna do shit.”

Jaemin stifled a laugh along with Jeno. After the novelty had worn off, Jaemin actually grew tired watching his friends argue.

“Sleep.”

Jaemin felt Jeno mouth those words into his hair. He nodded sluggishly.

“I’ll try and wake you up. That is, if I don’t fall asleep.”

Jaemin laughed tiredly, and snuggled into Jeno. The last thing he felt was an arm wrapping tightly around him, and he happily drifted off into sleep.

* * *

“—min! Jaemin! Hey! Guys, wake up!”

Jaemin stirred, and felt Jeno shift around him.

“You guys are embarrassing us. Come on…”

Jaemin pried his eyes open, and regretted it immediately after being met with Donghyuck’s face up close. He groaned, and stuffed his face into Jeno’s chest.

“Guys, we’re not at home right now, it’s not the time to cuddle.”

Jaemin heard shuffling around, and he heard Donghyuck whisper to Renjun. “Guess I’m about to pull out the Korean.”

_“NA JAEMIN AND LEE JENO. IF YOU DON’T GET UP RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO KICK BOTH YOUR ASSES BACK TO KOREA.”_

Jeno snorted himself awake, and looked around, disoriented. “Am I in Korea? _Why is it so bright?_ Jaemin-ah, where are we? _Honestly, I’m a little confused.”_

Jaemin pushed himself up, and looked around. His friends were looking embarrassed and a little annoyed. He smiled sheepishly and tugged Jeno up.

_“Jaemin-ah, wait. _I want to sleeeeeeeeep. Jaemin-ahhhhhhhh.”

He quickly stood up, and slung Jeno’s arm over his shoulder.

“Noooooooo. Donghyuck snores too much, can’t ever get enough sleep.”

Jaemin snorted, and grabbed their bags. Donghyuck looked like he was on the verge of punching Jeno in the jaw, but YangYang gently ushered him off the bus. Jaemin smiled sheepishly at the bus driver, and mouthed ‘sorry’ before lugging Jeno off the bus.

_“Ah, whyyyyyy. _Jaemin-ah, _sometimes I wonder why you’re my friend.”_

Jaemin sighed, as if saying, ‘Sometimes I wonder that too’.

“Jeno, come on. People are staring.”

“Mmf. Where we going?”

Jaemin helplessly looked at his other friends as they dragged themselves down the busy street to find another bus that would take them to their destination.

“Jeno, we’re just going to find another bus.”

“Oh.”

Jeno rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Hey, Jaemin. How long has it been since Jeno’s slept properly?”

Jaemin mouthed one and a half weeks, and the rest of them groaned.

“Why didn’t you make him sleep? Look at him! He’s like a three year old now.”

Jaemin pulled them into a fast food restaurant, and handed the money to Renjun. He nodded, and went to go order a little food as the rest of them found a booth to sit in.

“Well…someone make sure he’s okay and not dying. He looks a little out of it.”

Jaemin tilted Jeno’s head towards his, and gave him a questioning look.

“I’m okay.”

Jaemin shook his head, and started to fix his hair. Jeno gave him a tired smile. “Thanks.”

Renjun came back with a tray of five medium fries.

“How much left?”

“Sixty bucks, considering we still need that second bus ride. This should keep us going for a while I guess.”

Jaemin watched his friends as they started to eat, neglecting his own portion.

“Hey, you have to eat too.”

Jaemin pushed his fries towards Jeno, and shook his head.

“You have to eat. You need it.”

He shook his head again, but Jeno remained adamant until Jaemin put a few fries in his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, as if saying ‘happy?’ and Jeno sighed.

“You know, I’m doing this for your own good.”

Jaemin laughed softly as Jeno put his chin on his shoulder, and he held up a fry for Jeno to eat. Jeno rolled his eyes, but ate it anyways, and Jaemin reached over to kiss him on the cheek.

“Ew, oh my god, we’re trying to eat. Did you guys _actually _get married, or what?”

“Shut up.”

“Make us.”

Jeno rolled his eyes. “Well, since we’re the only married couple here, we have jurisdiction over you. Congrats, you guys have parents now.”

YangYang leaned over to whisper in Donghyuck’s ear. “Can he do that?”

“I guess so. Well, who’s mom and who’s dad?”

Jeno shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“Not really, but if we’re about to be a family, this has gotta work.”

Donghyuck wiped the salt off his fingers. “I vote Jeno as the dad.”

Jaemin huffed. _“Why am I the mom?”_

“I don’t know. You’re just the nagger type.”

Jaemin gave him an offended gasp, and Jeno patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. I still love you.”

“And _that’s _why Jeno’s the dad.”

The five boys burst into laughter as they finished off their food. The air of comfort instantly faded as Jaemin realized the other bus ride ahead of them.

“Fuck. We still have hours on the road.”

Jeno sighed as he threw away their trash and beckoned the rest of them to get moving. “Yeah. This is the last leg though.”

“You think they’re looking for us?”

“Not sure. I mean, they should appreciate it. Five less mouths to feed. God knows their place was in debt.”

Renjun snorted. “Maybe they’ll finally have better food.”

“We took one for the team.”

The five of them laughed as they walked to the next bus stop, and waited for it to come. Evening came quickly, and finally the bus they needed arrived. The five of them piled onto the bus, and said goodbye to their precious money. They settled down on the bus, tucking their bags under the seats and tangling their limbs together.

Jaemin wondered if this would be his life from now on.

“Sleep.”

Jaemin shook his head, but Jeno slung an arm around him.

“Sleep.”

He sighed, and closed his eyes.

Exhaustion took over his limbs, and then he was dead to the world.

* * *

“Well, where are we going to stay? We’ve scouted this area for a while, and I’m not sure we’ll find anything now.”

Jaemin racked his tired brain, and sighed. It was two in the morning, and they’d just reached Garden Grove. They’d spent the last hour walking around the place and trying to find places to crash.

His limbs felt like lead, and he was sure if his friends were anything like him, they felt the same.

Would he really have to do this now?

“Jaemin?”

Of course. Jeno had seen through him.

Jaemin sighed, and pulled out his notepad. _“I had a friend that lived around here. Well, she was my babysitter, since I used to live around here before moving up north.”_

“Okay, that’s something. Any info you remember?”

Jaemin grimaced. _“Not particularly. I think she mentioned once that she owned a motel. It wasn’t doing so well, so that’s why she babysat.”_

“I mean, it’s better than anything. It’s our best shot.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We look in the area for motels. If worst comes to worst, we’ll have to find a homeless shelter.”

Jaemin looked hesitant. _“I’m not even sure if she’ll let us stay. She hasn’t seen me for years.”_

“Don’t worry. We’ll find something. Come on.”

The five boys trekked across the roads, and searched all the hotels in the area. In all of the establishments they walked in, they recognized nobody.

Finally, they walked into some motel named ‘Motel 36’. How original.

Jaemin was ready to collapse when he heard a gasp.

“Jaemin?”

_Ah. Aunt Seulgi. _

_It’s been a while. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey it's almost 1 in the morning and i'm stupid 
> 
> blah blah blah anyways how yall doing i'm tired and still trying to write like anyone still cares 
> 
> i'm sure in the morning when i wake up i'll kick myself over this but anyways hope you enjoyed the fic!!!! don't know when i'll update next but it'll happen!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> alright so this is the beginning of another chaptered work. hopefully this time i'll be able to finish it haha.


End file.
